Thanks for stopping by Refresh with Dawn Herring. I hope you enjoy browsing through the postings and get to know me a bit better.
I'm Dawn Herring, host of #JournalChat Live and Links Edition for all things journaling on Twitter and Facebook. I'm also a writer and artist focused on refreshment, journaling, and positive change. Email me at refreshwithdawnherring@gmail.com with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks and enjoy your stay!

Monday, April 14, 2014

illusion (n) something that a person wrongly supposes to exist. A false belief about the nature of something.pretend (v) to create a false appearance of something either in play or so as to deceive others.

We all remember what it was like when we were a child and had a desire to imitate life around us. Like pretending to cook in the kitchen or pretending you're superman with a cape on. Or writing in your diary thinking you'll be a grown-up writer someday.

What did you pretend to be when you were a child? Was it fun? Adventurous?
One of my favorite pretend activities was with my Barbie dolls; I would come up with all kinds of scenarios of what they would do and be. I also pretended to feed my doll bottled milk (you know the kind that disappeared when it was horizontal.) It was all so fun and felt grown up to do something I hoped to do one day. (Of course I had two daughters, so that did eventually happen!)

Pretending is a huge part of a child's imagination and an essential part of growing up. It's all good.

On the flip side of that whole typical picture is illusion.
I don't mean the kind that magicians carry out to make something look real when it isn't. That's all in good fun.

No, I mean the kind that speaks of things that we worry about. The kind of content that runs around in our brains when we're trying something new or when we're figuring something out or when we're determining what comes next in a relationship or conflict we are facing.

We don't often return to the childhood activity of play, even though we should; that's often where imagination takes on a decidedly authentic turn, showing us how to solve problems and determine which path to take when we are perplexed.

It comes naturally to kids to problem solve; they don't give up easily, especially if it's helping them do something they really want to do. Child's play is nothing to laugh at when it comes to it's effectiveness in helping us learn our way in the world.

So why do we resort to that worrying narrative that runs around in our heads, undermining our imagination and twisting it into anxious and fearful thoughts that are just that...anxious and fearful thoughts?

Where do they come from?

My guess is our subconscious minds are trying to solve our perplexities but it's not getting past the noise to the voice within. This happens when we don't choose to be deliberately mindful, choosing better thoughts as we recognize something we think about that isn't really true because it hasn't happened yet. I call those thoughts Illusion. Those thoughts, most of the time, cause anxiety. And when we give our energy to them, without even realizing that's what we're doing, it creates a sense of un-ease that is so unnecessary. It steals our peace and produces an unhealthy energy that saps us dry.

Let's get mindful! Let's get deliberate about the thoughts we choose to think. Let's record in our journals the thoughts that are troubling us so we can determine if they are based in truth (what we know for sure) or in Illusion (what hasn't happened). Let's use our imaginations to create a life that is authentic to Who We Are.

Just like children who do eventually grow up and become who they wanted to be. Maybe they really did become that artist, that writer, that astronaut, that Mom or Dad with their child in their arms.

And maybe you can be Who You Want To Be even now. Knowing Who You Are is the First Step toward directing your thoughts authentically and in a direction that is true and lovely and good.

We'll keep Illusion for the magicians who like to make things look real when they are not.
Know Your Truth and Live In It and Become Who You Want To Be. For Real.

Accountability: to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions, responsible.

When most people think of accountability, they often negatively associate it with answering to others, such as a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or, in most cases, a boss. As a writer, you are your own boss, which is one of the reasons that you need to be accountable to yourself. And it can be a positive experience rather than a negative one.

The first step in being accountable to yourself as a writer is setting goals for your writing and keeping track of projects you want to finish. Incurring a deadline for yourself can help

motivate you in this area. This step can also include daily writing goals. Some authors plan how many words or pages per day they will write.

I’ve set goals for myself as a writer by making them reachable and attainable. This year I have set a goal to write at least one scene for my novel per week and at least one other piece,

whether it be memoir or essay, per week. That can mean just making notes, writing a first draft, or revising a draft.

As long as your goals keep you moving forward and you’re making progress, then you know you’re headed in the right direction.

Once you have your goals set, the next step in accountability to yourself is writing down what you accomplish each day. You can use a daily calendar just for writing or keep track of your

daily accomplishments on your computer. I designed a custom monthly writing calendar. It helps me track what I write daily, whether or not I’ve met my goal for the week, and it has

space for ideas for future writing pieces. I also have a spot to keep track of books I’m reading for that month. I use abbreviations to keep the daily writing easier and to save space. As I review each completed month, I can go back to see what I’ve accomplished and keep track of when I wrote each piece.

Whether you use something pre-made or customize something for yourself, use whatever works for you and helps you stay accountable to yourself.

A third, and perhaps most important, aspect in accountability in your writing is taking care of yourself as a writer. Than can mean giving yourself space and not being hard on yourself if

you don’t reach your goals each day or each week.

Flexibility and refreshment are paramount to your health as a writer. It also frees up your creativity and can actually help you produce more quality writing in the long run.

I enjoy writing in my journal, reading fiction or memoir, and watching a good movie with my family. Taking a walk, listening to music, talking with your family members, and just taking time to sit and enjoy life are all ways you can be good to

yourself—and ultimately accountable—as a writer.

Learn to celebrate your accomplishments and your uniqueness as a writer. That’s one of the best ways to be accountable—to yourself!

A 21 Day Refresh Intensive E-Course!

Dawn is now offering a 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course that enables you to Activate Your Intuition, Honor Your Preferences and Listen to Your Life Messages. It is available for purchase as a downloadable PDF so you can take it any time for your refreshment!

About Me

Dawn is a watercolor and collage artist, writer, Host of #JournalChat Live and Creative and Social Media Consultant. She enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on. Hope you enjoy perusing the blog posts and in the process, get to know her a bit better. Enjoy your stay!

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You can check out my website: www.dawnherring.net. There you will find info on my writing services, my bio and journaling resources and my book, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child. Enjoy your stay!

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My eBook: The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child

I'm so excited to share with you my new ebook, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child.

The Birthday Wall is my detailed, step-by-step instructional book that shows how to create a multi-dimensional, colorful visual collage to help celebrate your child's Birthday. As creator of this family tradition, I share how to research, plan, gather, create and display all the elements of your child's birthday wall which can help affirm, validate, and show appreciation for your child.

Follow this link which takes you to the Parent to Parent page of HSLDA's Home School Court Report. In their Sept/Oct 2009 edition and on this page, My reason for Homeschooling has been published under Dawn H. You're welcome to check it out!